Adding bone broth based soup into your weekly menu is a delicious way to nourish both your health and pocketbook. Rich in gelatin, vitamins and minerals, glucosamine & chondroitin, and glutamine, soup packs quite a health punch. Cook bones of your choice (beef, chicken, lamb, or fish) overnight in a large pot of water with a dash of vinegar to help leach nutrients from the bones, add your favorite veggies and herbs and voila! Superfood for super cheap.
Souperior Nutrition Breakdown
- Gelatin, a protein and collagen blend, is released from bones that have been cooked for 12-24 hours (thicker bones take longer to break down). These building blocks improve strength of bones, joints, hair, skin, nails and digestion.
- Glucosamine and chondroitin are a dynamic duo known to boost joint health and reduce pain caused by arthritis by helping rebuild cartilage. Soup is a great way to get these nutrients at a fraction of the cost of supplements.
- Glutamine is an important amino acid for improving gut health and the immune system since 80% of our immune system is found in the gut.
- Vitamins and minerals are abundant in soup since cooking vegetables in the broth retains the water-soluble B vitamins and important minerals that leach out of the bones: calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and some trace minerals.
Healthy bone buying guide
There is a saying in the health community: you can't get healthy from eating sick animals.
It is worth every penny to spend a little more and buy soup bones from organic, pasture-raised, free-roaming animal sources. The fatty marrow is cooked into the soup broth. Along with a rich variety of nutrients, toxins accumulate in fat so choosing high quality bones is a smart investment.
Using a variety of bone types, marrow and knuckle, produces richer tasting and more nutrient dense broth.
Bone Broth Soup Recipes
Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon has many good soup recipes to choose from. There are also plenty of online recipe sources.
Invest wisely in organic vegetables. If buying all organic is cost prohibitive, use the EWG dirty dozen guide to steer clear of the veggies highest in pesticides and herbicides.
The Bay Area has plenty of health food stores from which to choose quality soup ingredients.
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